Special guest Peyton Manning to play in official Tournament Pro-Am, the Nationwide Invitational at the Memorial

Dublin, Ohio – Officials of the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide announced today that the Tournament has accepted commitments from reigning FedExCup champion and World No. 2 Jordan Spieth, four-time major championship winner and World No. 3 Rory McIlroy, and World No. 8 Dustin Johnson to compete in the 41st edition of the Memorial May 30 – June 5 at Jack Nicklaus’ world-renowned Muirfield Village Golf Club. The additions of Spieth and McIlroy give the Tournament the top three players in the Official World Golf Ranking following the commitment of No. 1 Jason Day last week.

Spieth is coming off a career PGA TOUR season. He recorded 15 top-10 finished in 25 starts during his 2014-15 campaign and joined Jason Day with five TOUR wins on the year. Spieth capped off his impressive season, which included his first and second major championship titles at the Masters Tournament and U.S. Open, by winning the FedExCup title. He then proceeded to all but sweep the PGA TOUR’s annual awards circuit, receiving the Jack Nicklaus Award as the PGA TOUR’s player of the year, the Byron Nelson Award for low adjusted scoring average (68.91) and the Arnold Palmer Award as the TOUR’s money leader. The 22-year-old Texan has continued his inspired play this season, with four top-10 finishes in nine starts, including his seventh PGA TOUR victory at the Hyundai Tournament of Champions and a near wire-to-wire title defense at the Masters that ultimately resulted in a T2 finish. Spieth is currently No. 2 in the Official World Golf Ranking and No. 6 in FedExCup points. The 2013 Rookie of the Year sits at No. 5 on the TOUR’s money list with more than $2.7 million to go with career earnings of $23,025,959. This will be Spieth’s fourth straight Memorial Tournament appearance. He finished inside the top-10 for the first time last year when he shot a final-round 7-under-par 65 and tied for third, improving his Tournament scoring average to 71.08 and increasing his earnings to $438,043.78.

McIlroy will be making his sixth start at the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide. His best outing came in 2011 with a fifth-place finish. His scoring average at Muirfield Village Golf Club is 71.22 to go with career earnings of $520,002.50. The 27-year-old from Northern Ireland has recorded 11 PGA TOUR victories and garnered $29,813,478 in TOUR earning since turning professional in 2007. The four-time major champion and two-time PGA TOUR Player of the Year has recorded a win in five of the past six seasons on TOUR, bringing home multiple wins in three of those years (2012, 2014 and 2015). McIlroy is ranked No. 3 in the world and No. 36 in FedExCup points on strength of three top-10 finishes in eight starts this season.

Johnson, 31, has been a rising force on the PGA TOUR since recording his first TOUR victory in 2008 at the Turning Stone Resort Championship. He has since posted at least one win each season en route to nine total PGA TOUR victories and $31,804,959 in career earnings. The Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, resident has recorded six top-10 finishes this year in just nine starts and impressively finished inside the top-10 in four of the past five major championships. Johnson currently sits at No. 8 in the world and No. 17 in FedExCup points. He will be making his ninth Memorial start and hopes to improve on his only top-10 finish of fourth place in 2011. His career statistics at the Memorial Tournament include earnings of $637,201 and a 71.87 scoring average. Johnson finished in a tie for 13th place last year after rounds of 72, 71, 65 and 71.

Before competition begins on Thursday, patrons will be treated to a full slate of events scheduled for Wednesday, June 1, beginning with the Nationwide Invitational at the Memorial, the official Pro-Am of the Tournament, starting at 7:30 a.m. EDT. This event will feature the top players from the Tournament’s field of competitors and also serve to highlight the Nationwide Children’s Hospital Patient Champion Program.

The Patient Champion Program is designed to recognize the strong, driving spirit and optimistic outlook of each patient that inspires not only their family and loved ones, but the entire community. Eight Patient Champions from Nationwide Children’s Hospital will take center stage on Wednesday as they meet PGA TOUR professionals and enjoy a full morning of VIP Tournament experiences. These inspiring children will also have the opportunity to meet special Nationwide guest Peyton Manning. The two-time Super Bowl champion, who recently retired from the NFL, will be playing in the Nationwide Invitational for the first time.

Tournament Honoree Johnny Miller and Memorial Golf Journalism Award recipient John Garrity will be featured during the Memorial Honoree Ceremony at 3 p.m. on Wednesday, followed at 4:30 by the Jack Nicklaus Clinic held at the Tournament’s state of the art practice facility. Wednesday also is Military Appreciation Day. Patrons with an active, retired, reserve or spouse (includes immediate family) military ID receive complimentary admission to the Tournament. Gold Star and Blue Star families are also welcome. Military Day tickets are available at www.memorialbadges.com. Junior golf fans also receive complimentary admission with a ticketed adult on Wednesday. All youth 18 years of age and under receive a free junior ticket, which was designed by a young Tournament fan, as a part of Junior Golf Day. A fun-filled Wednesday is capped off with the Tournament’s annual Junior Golf Clinic, held at 5:30 p.m. at Safari Golf Club across from the Columbus Zoo.

The public may call the Tournament Ticket Office 9 a.m.-5 p.m. weekdays at 877-MT BADGE (877-682-2343) or visit www.memorialbadges.com to purchase badges. Kids 16 and under can attend for free with a ticketed adult and kids 18 and under are admitted free on Wednesday, June 1, for Junior Golf Day. Daily practice round tickets for Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday are also available. The cost is $35 and they are valid for all three practice-round days.

2016 the Memorial Tournament presented by Nationwide Schedule of Events